Inspiration and Happiness

It's been a while since I promised to write a post on the value of education and what I initially wanted to write about has eventually evolved into what you will read next. This topic somehow correlates with some of the things I am noticing in the workplace, so bear with me and feel free to comment.

I have always been a person who studies hard, gets excellent grades and who other students turn to when they are not prepared for the subject or the exam.

This excellence in studying I got from my father, who had PhD in Physics and was a world-renowned physicist. Even though I did well at school, I spent two years to get accepted to the most competitive law school in Russia, because I failed the exams on the first attempt. However, my parents' and my brother's support as well as my persistence strengthened my character and I finally got in. I was a diligent student, did well in law school, was awarded the Gold Medal for academic excellence and graduated summa cum laude. ​

Today I heard Will Smith say that "you can't make a person happy" and I thought it was an interesting idea to reflect on. He says that "you can make a person smile, you can make a person feel good, you can make a person laugh but whether or not a person is happy is deeply and utterly out of your control."

Real love is unconditional. If it's real, you love a person no matter what, even if they don't love you back. Otherwise, it's your ego, your desire to be loved that drives you in that relationship. Too often, we find ourselves in situations when we require another person to love us, to give us attention, to give us gratitude, - and then it's not love anymore. Happiness in my interpretation is giving yourself fully to that person with whom you have a relationship.